Moving forward: New football coach arrives, meets with prospectives

NORTH NEWTON, KAN. – Fresh off a national championship, Bethel College’s new head football coach, Marty Mathis, is finally getting settled on campus.

Mathis and two assistant coaches are staying in one of the residence halls – temporarily vacant for Christmas break – until they find permanent housing.

Mathis just completed his sixth season as an assistant coach (defense) for the Marian University (Indianapolis) football team. On Dec. 13, the Knights won the NAIA championship game, defeating Morningside College (Sioux City, Iowa) in overtime.

Dec. 18 was a football visit day at Bethel, when Mathis, his assistants, 10 prospective football student-athletes and their parents spent time together getting acquainted with each other and Bethel athletic and other facilities.

They met in the press box in Thresher Stadium, overlooking Joe W. Goering Field, where Mathis shared some of his vision for the Bethel football program.

Bethel College is the only private college in Kansas listed in the 2012-13 Forbes.com analysis of premier colleges and universities in the United States and ranks in the top five “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” in the Washington Monthly annual college guide for 2012-13. The four-year liberal arts college is affiliated with Mennonite Church USA.

In sports, Bethel competes within the 10-school Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. For more information, see www.bethelks.edu and www.bethelthreshers.com.

Back to News Marty Mathis arrived at Bethel Dec. 17 with two new assistant coaches. …